Heroes of the New Day

What began as a simple journey has turned into so much more...

Pax Humana

After the great human kingdom of Nerath fell to the undead forces of Atramor around 600 AC, many surviving nobles fled to the northeast. The Nerathi refugees settled in a collection of towns near the supernaturally vibrant and life-filled lake known as Melora’s Womb. Many of those who escaped brought their material wealth with them, be it gold, finery, libraries, or artwork. These nobles thrived in their new homes, and built the kingdom of Pax Humana upon many of the principles they felt were great in Nerath. However, these noble refugees were also entirely human, and soon stories began to arise that elvish mages and dwarven clerics from dark caves had been in collusion with undead powers, weakening Nerath in its final days. There were also tales of dragonborn and tiefling spies, jealous of the success of Nerath in the wake of the loss of Arkhosia and Bael Turoth, who had helped to bring about the end of Nerath. Over the next decades, a healthy racism against all non-humans arose in the kingdom that took the name “Pax Humana”, which means “Peace for Humanity” in the ancient tongue of Nerath’s forefathers.

According to the scriptures of Torm, humanity’s god of purity and the patron god of Pax Humana, “Humanity will know a true and lasting peace when all the lesser races recognize our greatness and submit to our rule. Until that holy day, we must abide the lesser races in places that have yet to be purged. Be true to your home, though, and let it not be defiled by creatures that pretend at humanity’s greatness.”

Though Pax Humana does great trade with many of the nations in the Alliance and Thay, and often sends out noble heroes into the rest of the world, their racial viewpoints color all that they do. The relations with Thay are often tense, given PH’s hatred of the undead that toppled Nerath. There have also been a number of archeologist teams (some call them tomb raiders or thugs) sent from PH into what is now known as the Nentir Vale whenever some new set of ruins is discovered.

The religions of PH are restructured so that Torm is the head of their pantheon, and all other gods are subservient to him. The church of Ioun has temples in PH, but they are dedicated to collecting Knowledge about Nerath, and preserving all of the tales of humanity’s efforts to save the world from itself… and some say that histories have been rewritten by these “scholars” to better highlight Humanity’s role in all progress the world has made. The church of Kord also has temples in PH, but they are dedicated to the war against non-humans. And of course any gods in PH are viewed as human in appearance.

Recent History

Pax Humana has sent forces to help with the war efforts against the Hordelands, however their refusal to work with mixed-race units has limited their effectiveness. Still, their heroes wield some of the strongest ancient artifacts, making it impossible for the Alliance Battle Command to turn them away.

They have also set up “Racial Patriation” stations in the Nentir Vale (and within their embassies in other nations). These are places where humans can denounce the lesser races and gain citizenship in PH (after taking a loyalty oath in the presence of a priest of Torm). Also, recently tales of half-elves who clip their ears and half-orcs with filed teeth have been told in areas bordering PH. The tales say that half-breeds may renounce their “lesser halves” and undergo a “purging” (again, with presence of the clergy of Torm) to attain a more perfect human existence.

Neighbors

Thay shares a border with PH in the north.
Travailia (part of the Alliance) is the nearest neighbor to the east.
The western border is composed of the Great Pine Woods and the Primordial’s Blood river.
Melora’s Womb, a lake that never lacks fish and whose waters are always pure, makes up the northeastern border.
Far to the southwest, down the Deep Blue River, is the nation of Ionia.